Often, even experienced gardeners and culinary specialists confuse different types of beans. Therefore, in today's article we will talk about one of the most popular questions, about the differences between the charas and asparagus subspecies.
String Beans - What Are They?
This representative of the legume family was introduced to Europe from Central America in the 16th century. Today, breeders have bred more than 50 varieties of this plant, among which there are curly and shrubs.
Did you know? In ancient Rome, bean beans were used to create powder. With its help, the beauties of those times hid wrinkles and evened complexion.
The leguminous culture, habitual for Europeans, grows in the form of a vine, entwining a support. It grows well in humid climates on light soils, but it does not tolerate heavy soils, where groundwater passes close to the surface.
Depending on the variety, fruits can be harvested throughout the summer. And if you properly care for the plantings, then from the bush you can get more than one crop.The leguminous variety is harvested slightly immature, because, unlike ordinary beans, it is eaten with whole pods. Therefore, it is important that the product is slightly greenish, since in the overripe fruit the fibers become dry and stiff.
For high-quality string beans, the following symptoms are characteristic:
- the length of the pod is not more than 40 cm;
- a shape in the form of a thin tube or completely flat;
- juiciness;
- sweet taste;
- lack of hard fibers.
Bean pods are boiled or stewed; they perfectly complement meat, fish, poultry dishes. They are also used in salads. These vegetables are perfectly stored frozen or canned.
Important! Since green beans remove excess moisture and salts from the body, its doctors especially recommend it for urolithiasis.
This culture can not be used for exacerbations of gastric diseases, however, it brings invaluable benefits to a healthy person:
- normalizes carbohydrate metabolism;
- contains easily digestible proteins, comparable in composition to meat;
- enriches with minerals (iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, etc.) and vitamins A, C, group B;
- fiber in its composition helps to prevent cancer;
- slows down the formation of cholesterol;
- reduces the likelihood of hypertension.
What is the difference between green beans and asparagus
Having an idea of the legume variety, you can go on to asparagus.
In appearance, they do not differ from each other: both species are fleshy pods with grains inside, which are eaten without opening the core.
However, the asparagus subspecies has weakly expressed grains inside, softer fibers and, on the whole, are more tender in taste. Unlike green beans, asparagus beans can be eaten raw.
Calling an asparagus variety of siliculose (or vice versa) a person does not make a mistake, because in fact it is a type and subspecies of a vegetable. However, do not confuse asparagus beans with asparagus - these are different cultures.
Growing conditions for asparagus and green beans
All bean species are famous for their thermophilicity. String and asparagus crops grow in the form of bindweed, forming entire networks, the dimensions of which can exceed 3 m. At the same time, it will be more convenient to collect fruits if the crop is planted against a wall or fence along which it can curl.
Did you know? 100 g of string beans contains only 24 kcal.
Before planting this vegetable, it is worth considering the following nuances:
- the plant does not tolerate clay or acid soils;
- the landing site should be open to the sun, but closed from the wind, capable of breaking fragile stems;
- for greater crop yields, use fertilizers for legumes;
- the culture grows better if the earth around it is periodically loosened;
- Do not plant beans in the place where legumes grew last year.
If you overexpose the fruits on the plant, their taste will deteriorate, and the fibers will become too stiff for eating.
Now you know that the main difference between asparagus and green beans is the insignificant structural features of the fruit itself, as well as the taste. In many dishes, these vegetables are used interchangeably, but should not be confused with ordinary asparagus.